This week, I turned off my PlayStation 5. Actually turned it off. That probably doesn't sound particularly noteworthy, but normally when I'm finished playing something, I put the PS5 into Rest Mode. This past Saturday, knowing that the #PSBlackout boycott was scheduled to begin the following day, I selected "Turn Off PS5" instead. And that's … Continue reading I’m Not Anti-Digital. I Just Want to Own the Things I Buy.
Game Room
From Cornelia to Ivalice: A Tour of Final Fantasy’s Greatest Worlds
One of the strange joys of being a longtime Final Fantasy fan is that no two games ever feel like they belong to the same universe. You can boot up one entry and find yourself in a medieval kingdom with knights and crystals. Boot up the next and you're navigating an industrial empire full of … Continue reading From Cornelia to Ivalice: A Tour of Final Fantasy’s Greatest Worlds
Why Final Fantasy Still Matters (Even If You’ve Never Played It)
I was ten years old when I picked up the original Final Fantasy for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was 1990, North America had just gotten its hands on the game, and I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I'd never played a Japanese role-playing game before. I didn't know what hit … Continue reading Why Final Fantasy Still Matters (Even If You’ve Never Played It)
How Final Fantasy’s Magic Systems Have Evolved Over 35+ Years
There's a moment in every Final Fantasy game where magic stops being just a menu option and starts feeling like something real. Maybe it's the first time you grind out enough AP to finally unlock Ultima on your Materia. Maybe it's watching Lulu wind up in that absurd spinning doll animation before torching an entire … Continue reading How Final Fantasy’s Magic Systems Have Evolved Over 35+ Years
Underneath the Armor: How Samus Aran Quietly Changed Everything
I've been playing Metroid games for a long time. Long enough to have a real affection for the series — the atmosphere, the isolation, the particular satisfaction of backtracking through a corridor you couldn't access twenty minutes ago because now you have the right upgrade. It's a franchise that does something very specific and does … Continue reading Underneath the Armor: How Samus Aran Quietly Changed Everything
More Than a Weapon: The Master Sword and the Soul of Zelda
There's a moment in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past that stops you cold. You've been through dungeons, you've collected the three Pendants of Virtue, you've fought your way through Hyrule, and now you're standing in the Lost Woods in front of a sword resting in a stone pedestal. It's not a … Continue reading More Than a Weapon: The Master Sword and the Soul of Zelda
Mario’s Power-Ups: Their Origins and Evolution Across the Series
There's a moment burned into the memory of basically every kid who grew up in the late '80s or early '90s. You're running through World 1-1, and a little question mark block is just sitting there, floating in the air, practically daring you to punch it from below. You do. A mushroom pops out. And … Continue reading Mario’s Power-Ups: Their Origins and Evolution Across the Series
Chocobos and Moogles: The Adorable Creatures of Final Fantasy
There's a lot to love about the Final Fantasy franchise. The sweeping orchestral scores. The dramatic storylines that somehow make you care deeply about a group of fictional people fighting an ancient cosmic evil. The battle systems that range from elegantly simple to "I need a spreadsheet to understand this." The games have given us … Continue reading Chocobos and Moogles: The Adorable Creatures of Final Fantasy
The Shift from Linear Levels to Metroidvania: Gameplay Evolution
There are certain games that, no matter how much time passes or how impressive the latest technological marvels become, I find myself returning to again and again. Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night sit at the very top of that list. In my opinion, they're not just two of the greatest games ever … Continue reading The Shift from Linear Levels to Metroidvania: Gameplay Evolution
MGS3: Snake Eater – Cold War Politics and Espionage in Video Games
Let's talk about eating tree frogs in the name of democracy. When Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater released in 2004, it did something genuinely audacious for a video game franchise that had built its reputation on nanomachines, cyborg ninjas, and increasingly convoluted conspiracy theories about artificial intelligence. It went backwards. Not just chronologically, but … Continue reading MGS3: Snake Eater – Cold War Politics and Espionage in Video Games
The Confusing Middle 